Electronic devices, especially tablets or smart phones, may accept input via hand-held peripheral devices, such as a stylus. A stylus may be held manually by a user in relation to a screen to provide input to the electronic device. The stylus may employ sensors to measure the amount of force applied by the user at the tip of the stylus against a surface of the electronic device. Measurements from the sensors on the stylus of an applied force may experience thermal drift when environmental conditions include changes in temperature. Thermal drift may lead to inaccuracies and diminished user experience because the force needed to provide input to the electronic device may differ from the user's expectations in conditions of changing environmental temperatures. Thermal drift may also cause sensors in a stylus to imprecisely distinguish the point at which the user begins to apply a force to the tip.